Death toll in Turkish bomb blasts rises to 86

ANKARA: Eighty-six people were killed in twin bomb blasts in the Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday, while another 186 people were wounded including 28 who are in intensive care, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu told a news conference.

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Asked about security measures at the rally where the attacks took place, Interior Minister Selami Altinok told the same news conference there were no security shortcomings.

A Reuters reporter at the scene saw at least 15 bodies covered by flags, with bloodstains and body parts scattered on the road.

Turkish government officials say the blast was a terrorist attack and investigation into the attack is underway.

President Erdogan condemns attack

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned a double bombing which killed at least 30 people in the capital Ankara on Saturday, saying the attack targeted the country’s unity and peace.

In a written statement from his office, Erdogan called for “solidarity and determination as the most meaningful response to terror” and said that those behind the attack aimed to sow division between sections of society.

Last month, five children were wounded when a bomb tore through a street in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, where deadly clashes followed the collapse of ceasefire by Kurdish militants.

A separate blast in the town of Tatvan wounded five soldiers when their vehicle passed over an explosive left in a ditch by the road, security sources said.